Tuesday, October 23, 2012

In Relevant Magazine Paul Angone writes ... "Complaining is like a rash—too easy to catch, and tough to get rid of. I speak from experience. I’m a recovering “complain-a-holic” who’s still trying to find the cure. And I don’t think it’s just me. It seems that complaining, with a heavy dose of cynicism, has become our national pastime. It only takes three minutes on Facebook, Twitter, talk radio, or the news stations to know that if you’re not complaining about something, you’re a bit of an outsider. Complaining has become our social currency, our shared language used to form a mutual—if somewhat bitter—understanding of the world we live in. We complain about our jobs, the slow Wi-Fi, our leaders in the office and around the world and the waiter who brought only one basket of bread the entire night. ( http://www.relevantmagazine.com/next/grow/creativitys-worst-enemy )"

I am afraid Mr. Angone is correct.  He calls this propensity to complain (for Christ followers) a plague that destroys creativity and causes divisions and disunity and presents a bad witness to the world.  The old song says they will know we are Christians by our love but in practice "they know we are Christians by our complaining."  We are so know for what we are against, not what we are for.  A classic example of this is our attitude toward lifestyles that are different or non-Bilical.  While I won't use this space to make a case for or against such lifestyles (I would take the Biblical route there but will save that argument for another day) I do remember a case in Scripture where Jesus confronted this very issue.  A woman of questionable repute was washing his feet with her tears and expensive perfume (Luke 7:36-50).  It is a story of how Jesus allows this woman to come to him, touch him (both taboo in the Jewish world), wash his feet, kiss him and do all the things that were the true responsibility of the host in the household.  The Pharisee who invited Jesus to come into his house complains about the "sinful" woman.  Jesus calls him on this, reminding the Pharisee (who is 'moral' in the context of the Jewish world) that he has failed in being a host and has failed to receive the forgiveness that was freely given to the sinful woman (by the way ... it doesn't seem she asked ... He just does what only Jesus can do).

I wonder?  What if we approached the people in our world with an attitude of forgiveness rather than a condemnation of their sin?  Would that bring them into a dialogue about the God we worship who is their (and our) only source of life and salvation?  David Kinnaman (in "Unchristian") observes that Mosaic and Baby Buster outsiders (those not in the Christian faith) said that the word 'antihomosexual' accurately describes the modern day Christian community.  While some of you say "right on" and "we certainly are that!" I am asking you to take a bit of a step back.  Do you think God is honored when the very thing we are most known for is being against a group or do you think we should be better known for being "pro-forgiveness" and "for loving all people?"  I do think the dialogue about all sorts of sinful behavior needs to be had and I also know that there are radical elements promoting anti-Christian bias.  But I, for one, want to dialogue and work with sinners who are willing to come to Jesus ... kneel at His feet ... hear his words ... find out that He is the source of life, truth and true wisdom. 

I know some of you will read this the wrong way and (go figure) complain.  I pray that you will see my true meaning and will see I am not promoting any lifestyle that is non-Biblical ... just reminding us that we (through Jesus) come to be a conduit of salvation for the least, the lost and the sinner.  And ... for the record ... let's all stop being a nation of chronic complainers and become a nation of followers who know the solution to every problem ... Jesus!

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